Pakistan

Potato cultivation in Pakistan is primarily concentrated in the fertile districts of Punjab—Sahiwal, Sialkot, Okara, Lahore, Jhang, and Kasur, which collectively account for most of the national production, with additional significant areas in the Swat, Dir, Kaghan, and Peshawar valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Pishin and Kalat districts of Baluchistan. The sector has experienced rapid growth, driven by extensive irrigation, a favorable temperate climate, and widespread adoption of improved potato varieties.

Sante is the most widely grown potato variety in Pakistan, renowned for its creamy flesh and light brown skin, while other notable varieties include Vogue, Kuroda, Esmee, Rudolph, Desiree, Cardinal, Diamant, and Lady Rosetta, all valued for their adaptability, disease resistance, and suitability for both processing and fresh consumption.

According to FAO data for 2023, Pakistan produced 8,319,770 metric tons of potatoes from a harvested area of 340,576 hectares, achieving an average yield of 24,428.5 kilograms per hectare.

Potato cultivation in Pakistan has evolved significantly from its modest beginnings during the British colonial era in the 19th century, when it remained a minor, garden-scale crop. At the time of independence in 1947, less than 3,000 hectares were under cultivation, producing under 30,000 tons annually.

Since the 1980s, potato production in Pakistan has witnessed rapid growth, primarily through the expansion of cultivated area enabled by irrigation from the Indus River basin. By the mid-1990s, annual output surpassed 1 million tons, and by 2022, production had reached 7.9 million tons, establishing potato as the country’s fastest-growing staple crop.